


Lady of Fortune

by MattSensei



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:33:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23428525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MattSensei/pseuds/MattSensei
Summary: Sojiro Sakura goes for a walk. Things happen. Coffee.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Lady of Fortune

_ Grind the beans, medium-fine. Heat the kettle, filtered water only. Dripper and filter on the mug. Rinse the filter, don’t want paper dust in the coffee, and it preheats the cone. Grounds in the filter. Water should be boiling at this point, remove from heat, wait about 20 seconds. Pour in slow, concentric circles. Pause to let the coffee bloom. Even pouring helps create an even flavor throughout. Continue pouring, repeating the process as necessary until cup is perfectly at the 8 ounce mark. _

Sojiro attended to his ritual carefully, with near-surgical precision. _ ”Flavor is a science. It’s formulaic, and should be consistent each time to ensure the best results.”  _ Her words resonated in his mind each time he prepared a cup. A smirk crept across his face. An old man, stuck in the past, how little had changed in the past few years. The outdated features of the coffeehouse are a reflection of its master, not quite antiquated enough to be antique, but too old to fit modern sensibilities.

“Coffee’s ready,” he said as he moved the cup towards the customer. Money was exchanged, and the middle-aged women exited at 7:19 AM, the same time as each previous workday for as long as he could remember. Little served to break his routine these days. Sojiro knew that, on this particular day, it was unlikely he’d see another customer until the evening regulars, who would come for a serving of the same curry that he always served, and a cup of his house blend, a meticulously composed selection of beans with a flavor profile unmatched by any cup in the city.

Sojiro was jolted out of his contemplation by the familiar singsong tone of his phone. Answering without the need to look at the number, he answered with a calm tone “What do you need?” “IT’S DEAD!!” cried the frantic, high pitched feminine voice on the other end. “What’s dead?” he replied, a hint of concern creeping into his voice. “MY BABY! MY PRECIOUS CHILD HAS BEEN STOPPED IN HER TRACKS!” Instantly, the old artisan relaxed. “Oh, this is about your computer. What’s going on with it?” “The GPU is completely burnt! You could fry an egg on it! The fan must have stopped working....can you run out to Akihabara and get one for me? I can text you exactly what you need to ask them for.” Sojiro sighed, but smiled despite the slight annoyance. “Alright, that’s fine. It’s a slow day at the shop anyway. I’ll head out early. Might grab some food on my way home.”

He went through the rituals of closing at his usual pace flipping the sign as he walked out and turned the corners of the alleyways. For a change of pace, he opted for the subway over his own vehicle. The cars were packed, as many businesses were ending for the day, but Sojiro managed to secure himself a seat. The chatter made him wish he had brought a book with him, something to pass the time. Snippets of conversation passed in and out of his attention. “An accident on the Ginza line the other day…” “They say he had a mental breakdown…” “...supposedly they’re running an operation out of central street, out by the beef bowl shop…” “...are crazy times, for sure.”

By the time he reached Akihabara, Sojiro was beyond relieved to exit the crowded car. Making his way to the electronics store, he passed a shop with various otaku goods displayed prominently in the window. His mind couldn’t help but wander to a happier time, when his life contained more laughter and fewer backaches. There was a time when Futaba would’ve begged to run amok in that shop, bouncing between the figurines and selection of J-pop albums. But that was before it all happened. He couldn’t even remember the last time Futaba had even left the house, even for coffee and curry at Leblanc. “Wakaba…” he found himself muttering as he rounded the corner and entered the electronics store. Despite running it through his mind thousands of times, he still couldn’t make sense of what had happened. How does a perfectly happy, healthy, and lively person jump in front of a moving vehicle? The initial blow of the news had doubled him over; he had never cried like he did that night. But since that night, after getting custody of Futaba, he hadn’t shed a tear. It wasn’t that the pain had left, or even dulled, he had simply hardened himself to the world. In his mind, Futaba needed stability, a rock that she could balance herself on, and he was determined to be that for her, even if he wasn’t sure how.

Through the thoughts, he had somehow walked to the counter, shown the teen working the register the text, and acquired the parts Futaba needed. They were pricey, but his previous life had given him at least modest savings to pull from. He thanked the kid and headed for the street. There was a restaurant/bar out in Shinjuku that, while a bit sketchy at times, had surprisingly delicious food. Hopping on the proper subway line, he headed out to grab take-out for Futaba and himself. Silently he reminded himself to try and get Futaba to clean her room a bit, as the containers from this food run would likely be added to the frightening collection that had amassed by her bedside.

As he walked the streets of Shinjuku, he was blasted by the usual sights of neon lights and recruiters for the various themed clubs and parlors that dotted the area. He had almost reached his destination, when he noticed an oddly dressed woman, seemingly being harassed by some hosts nearby. From her headband to the flowing spring dress, she was clearly out of place here in the redlight district. There was a clear look of discomfort and concern on her face as the hosts loudly proclaimed how beautiful she was, and what amazing profits she could rake in if she just followed them…

_ It’s really none of my business... _ he thought as he turned to enter the bar, but when she cried it out it was simply too much for even an old curmudgeon to ignore. Looking back, he noticed that one of the men had grabbed her wrist, and was trying to pull her towards the door of an especially seedy establishment. “What a pain…” he muttered, as he walked quickly towards the mismatched trio. “Hey!” he shouted, and the man who had grabbed the girl turned. “Mind your own, old man, or you might not find your way home tonight.” Undeterred, Sojiro continued his calm walk towards them. The first man, dropping the girl's wrist, went to strike out at the older man. Smoothly sidestepping the wild attack, Sojiro hooked his foot around the man's ankle. Off-balance, the man fell to the pavement, and before he could gather himself, a hand was on his shoulder, and another on his arm, pulling him up. The man grimaced in pain, the older gentleman had a thumb firmly placed on a pressure point beside the neck of the man. Sojiro had primarily worked as a liaison during his years with the government, but he had picked up a trick or two along the way. “Woah there pal,” he said with an icy calm, “that fall looked pretty rough. How about you and your friend over there go take a seat inside somewhere? You wouldn’t want to risk hurting yourself, now would you?” A hint of steel had entered the man’s calm cadence. “C’mon man, this ain’t worth our time,” said the second man.

The pair retreated as Sojiro placed his hands back in his pockets. He addressed the odd girl with a harsh tone, “You alright? Frankly, you should be more careful where you wander. There’s no point in causing people unnecessary trouble.” Slack-jawed and a bit stunned, the girl looked back at him. “I-I’m okay sir, thank you.” Wordlessly, Sojiro turned to continue his solitary quest. “B-but sir! Hold on a second! I don’t have anything to give you for helping me, but I could tell you your future if you’d like!” Sojiro glanced back at the girl.  _ Great, I saved a crazy person. _ “Not interested,” came the reply.

The girl reached out and clasped his arm. “But sir, please! It will only take a moment, I promise! It’s really the least that I could do.” Sighing, Sojiro allowed himself to be half-dragged over to a small foldout table. As soon as they were seated, the girl began working a deck of cards, nimble fingers lithely maneuvering the cards in a series of complicated magician-like ways. An almost trance-like appearance fell on her visage as she laid the cards out one at a time. Finally, flipping them over, she spoke. “Yes, the future is clear. Someone new will soon be entering your life. Though you will close your heart to them initially, you will find that this particular person has the power to access people’s hearts in a way you never would’ve thought possible. It is through this person that you will either regain the person you love most or lose them forever. The joy that you have been so long deprived of will finally blossom, though it will be bittersweet in the end.” With that, the trance-like look faded from the girl’s face, and she met the solemn man’s gaze. “I’m sorry I couldn’t really repay you for your kindness, but I wanted to do something.” Awkwardly, Sojiro stood to leave “Yeah, well uh...thanks, I guess. Try to stay out of people’s way from now on, will you?”

The day had been unexpectedly long, and Sojiro was tired. He quickly placed his order at the bar, gathered up his food, and boarded the subway car to head back to Yongen. After he delivered Futaba’s food and computer parts, he still had a phone call to make. A customer had told him that he had an interesting proposition for him, something involving some juvenile delinquent from the country… 


End file.
